Astrological Samhain 2024
Working with Taxus Baccata
Though often celebrated on October 31, astrological Samhain is marked by the Sun’s position at 15° Scorpio. Read below for Saffron’s plant ally and chart interpretation. And, for paid subscribers, enjoy Heather’s tarot spread for this special cross-quarter day.
Astrological Samhain occurs on November 6, 2024. But before we discuss this chart, let’s revisit my previous article on the equinox. You may remember that Sagittarius was on the ascendant for that chart, placing Pisces at the base in the 4th house. We had already witnessed the trine between the malefics devastating parts of Europe and around the world, and I had been, in true Sagittarius fashion, overly optimistic that a fire sign would bring some time for warmth and heat to allow folk to recover. However, Venus was about to enter Scorpio, creating a whole sign grand water trine…
Of course, what it bought was literally Zeus. Within hours on either side of the equinox in the UK, we witnessed two of the biggest thunderstorms of the year, creating colossal flooding in my local area. Houses in my village and the local town have been so severely damaged that they'll take years and lots of money to dry out and become habitable again. For days, one of our local main link roads was cause for national news as it was under 8 million litres of water and took weeks to clear.
Globally, hurricanes, floodings, and landslides have devastated many countries on a scale not witnessed in generations.
When looking at the triplicity of the grand water trine, we're looking at Mars as the ruler of the night, and though in Hellenistic texts, Venus is the day triplicity ruler, according to Ptolemy, the day ruler is also Mars, double trouble. So, with the fallen Cancerian Mars cooperating and supporting the greater malefic Saturn in Pisces, it should be no surprise that these last few months have bought a lot of water as Mars offers His “friendly” support!
Wherever you are in the world, if you have been affected by the devastating weather patterns this past year, I send you my thoughts and hope that rebuilding and restructuring is something you can do for yourself and your community to rebuild stronger than before.
Samhain is the time of year when we honour our ancestors and keep wandering souls company. We also look to the future as we plan to get through the winter season with well-stocked larders and provisions to stay warm and dry through the darker part of the year here in the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere, you may be looking for shade to keep out of the heat of the early summer sun!
Taxus Baccata
If you are visiting the graves of those who have passed over to the world of spirit, in many parts of the globe, you may come across the Yew Tree, Taxus baccata. This noble evergreen that sits as a guardian in many graveyards protects the spirits as they sleep but also helps to keep them calm and at ease in their eternal rest.
Yew is highly toxic to ingest, so do not eat anything from the tree. Though the red seed casing is not harmful, the seed within it is, so do not eat it!
Though toxic, homeopathy has harnessed the benefits of this tree to a good effect in treating depression and anxiety. Allopathic medicine has created treatments for some cancers. Though life-threatening, the guardian of the graves can also benefit the living if treated with the utmost respect and left in the hands of those with great wisdom and expertise.
Yew trees have lived for hundreds of years, and their deep green colour with contrasting arils of red seed casing makes for a sometimes dark and ominous presence in old graveyards. However, I am very fond of these silent witnesses of the liminal spaces, as they have watched as generations of families are laid to rest together; these trees feel like great-grandmother energy gently and quietly protecting her wards.
As the trees age and begin to feel the weight of the branches, they reach back to the ground, and the branches set new roots. This occurs through a process called layering, and a new tree is created close by. This shows us why this tree was revered as a symbol of death and rebirth. There are some spectacular, ancient specimens, including the Craigend’s Yew, Renfrewshire, Scotland.
However, Europe's oldest tree is the Fortingall Yew in Glen Lyon, Perthshire, Scotland. It is suggested that this ancient tree is anywhere between 2000-5000 years old, and as placed in a churchyard, the church, which would have been placed many years after the tree had sprung up, suggests that the land originally was an ancient pagan worship site. The tree has lost its heartwood, and only parts are now living, but it is still a beautiful specimen, and it could live for hundreds of years more if protected.
You may want to use this in a garden scheme for those of you who do not have roaming young ones or pets. Keep it at the back of your border for the best effect. I remember a question when taking my RHS exam asking for an ideal combination for a flower border. Taxus baccata, with its deep, dark, evergreen green leaves, is the perfect foil for any bloom colour and makes a lovely, rich backdrop in all planting schemes.
The Astrology of Samhain
In our Samhain 15° Scorpio cross quarter chart, sharing a mutual reception, the Sun has moved past the tricky Scorpio New Moon, and Mars has ingressed for a short dip into Leo before he retrogrades back into Cancer on the 6th of January 2025 and reforms the trine to Saturn in Pisces. It will be worth keeping an eye on the two weeks at the beginning of February and the week beginning April 2025 to see if this trine reactivates this deluge we have witnessed over the past few months. In natal charts, anywhere tension had been free-flowing between the water houses over the last few weeks; it may pop up again at that time. If it is for you personally, the benefit of foresight is that we can shore up our resilience so that those tricky times are not so complicated, and there may even be blessings where we can reframe the previous problem.
The theme of Samhain is shedding off the old to prepare for the new, and it is helpful to understand what is no longer serving us well at this time of year. The energy of the Mars-Pluto opposition will be playing out for a while, and though this can bring some challenges, sometimes much like a volcanic eruption, the fertile ground left after the area cools can nourish us for many years.
In the UK, the regal sign of Leo rises, a fixed fire sign holding the energy in place until we get to our next seasonal marker at the official beginning of winter at the Winter Solstice. Mars stretches his legs out in front of the warmth of the hearth fire in Leo and feels the benefit of the whole sign trine to Mercury and joyful Venus in the 5th house in Sagittarius.
Though not happy in Jupiter's sign, Mercury is blessed by Venus's presence and enjoys the mutual reception with its host, Jupiter, placed in the 11th house. Venus is in her joy, and it seems that after all the noise of the last few months, she is looking for a little respite. I use that word for what it is, as the etymology states a grace period or postponement of action. If you have witnessed some complex and turbulent times over the last few weeks, now is the time to sit gently and enjoy a restful, peaceful interlude; a book of philosophy on your lap and a glass of brandy at your side, maybe? Just don’t get too comfy.
At the time of writing this article, I drew the Four of Swords in my morning drawing and remembered that taking time to sit and think is a huge luxury and blessing when we all live such busy lives. For me, a walk in a graveyard, particularly our local one, has some gorgeous ancient yew trees, and the tranquillity of this space always clears my mind. As a fire sign rises myself, I feel I need the fuel of the tree essence to nourish my spirit.
Where do you go to regenerate? Where do you have fun, and where do you relax? Venus and Mercury enjoy the Sagittarius spirit while Jupiter watches from across the pond, and his mutual reception comes into play through the whole sign aspect. These two houses are activated, and though the opposition can bring its challenges, and the reception is a little bit dubious, Mercury is in Jupiter's sign and bound, so as there is an idealistic view, it could get a little fanatical with the trine to Mars. Still, I am always an optimist, so I look for the good in this transit and hope it brings you all the fun preparations for the celebrations that come around the build-up to the Solstice. Drink, relax, be comfortable, and be merry!
The Sun, the Lord of the ascendant, sits at the chart's base in watery Scorpio, shining light in the underworld and bringing to mind the line in the Orphic Hymn to Apollo “…you see the roots below…” (Dunne, 2018) The ancients knew that each day, the Sun did not just disappear or die; it went below the horizon (and a lot of these folk knew the Earth was a sphere, too) to rise again in the morning. As we look to the cross-quarter marker of the 15°, fixed sign of the water element, the Sun prepares to take some well-earned respite Himself, and as He does, much of the plant life follow suit, taking into their roots their life force protecting themselves from the winter to come to prepare for the re-emergence of life in the spring. Grandmother Yew holds her evergreen canopy firmly as a protective shield while others sleep the winter away.
The Moon is separating from a sextile to the Sun is in exile in Capricorn and applies to Ceres in the 6th house, which has a real sense that “ Winter is Coming”. This does bring a little shiver of anxiety as Ceres, the grain Goddess and mother of Proserpina, takes back all her nourishment from the Earth during the winter months. In some versions of the story, Hekate in Her Crone phase pointed Ceres to the abductor, Pluto in the Myth, taking us back to that great-grandmother energy of the Yew tree, keeper of the liminal spaces, witness to all things. Pluto feels he has escaped the clutches of his enraged mother-in-law by jumping into Aquarius on the 19th of November. However, he only evades Her briefly as she catches him on the 8th of December. A Mother-in-law's revenge is best served cold, maybe? Female rights and progressive feminine thinkers, or closed-down thoughts and attitudes toward the feminine?
With The Moon so closely aligned to Ceres here, it does make me wonder if the sojourn Venus and Mercury are enjoying in the 5th house may be a little bit premature and that it would be wiser to store the food and supplies rather than eat, drink, and be merry for too long.
Catching wind of the cold, dry nature of Capricorn ahead of the game this year, Mercury chooses to revel a little longer in Sagittarius and stations retrograde in the archers sign on the 26th of November. So, get that brandy case stocked, dry some extra firewood, and ensure the bookshelves are full. Yet, we also must consider how much we need to preserve our assets for the coming season. That is the question: blissful excess vs. possible cold hardship to come?
I am, as always, an optimist here, so let’s take Mercury’s view and raid the biscuit tin, pull up a chair in front of that warming fire, and read!
Saffron Dennis is an astrologer, crystal therapist and tarot reader based in the East Anglia region of the UK. You can book her for a reading or as a speaker at your local or online event at divinebaytree.com
Perhaps an apple brandy, to keep it seasonal and chthonic! 🍎
Thank you Saffron 🙏🌌